dull lights cast no shadows

A HariPo drabble

by mew-tsubaki

Note: The Harry Potter characters belong to J.K. Rowling, not to me. This pairing is a Mew and Mor's Weird Pairing, which you may find in the M&MWP forum (see my profile for details). Check out and join the forum FUN! Read, review, and enjoy! Originally written for Morghen.

- ^-^3

And, as the days went on, she watched her husband wither away. She watched her son grow thin and somber and humble. She looked in the mirror and watched her own reflection turn into a ghost, even though her hair was still blond and her skin still pink.

See? They were doing fine. She was fine. So why did her nephew turn up on their front step again? It was like living their nightmare all over again.

Harry claimed that "his world" was all good again. He didn't elaborate or anything, and none of them cared about that. A young boy stood by his side, eyeing them all.

God, Harry didn't expect them to take him in, too, did he?

The boy was Teddy Lupin—ugh, a fit name for another freak—and he was the reason Harry was there. He'd told his godfather, whom he called "Uncle Harry," that he wanted to know about his godfather's life. And, despite all the true things Harry had told him, Teddy still wanted to meet them. Perhaps it was a side-effect of the personality his parents had passed on to him.

Petunia couldn't help but notice Harry never told her what kinds of freaks Teddy's parents were.

But they visited, Harry glaring silently with a half-defeated Vernon, Dudley standing dumbly to the side, Teddy asking Petunia all sorts of questions. "What did Uncle Harry like as a kid?" "Was he always so quiet and moody?" "Are you Muggles really so sure that I'm a weirdo, as is Uncle Harry?"

The woman felt it building up, a scream waiting to be released. She looked at him and opened her mouth: "I dunno." It came out so quietly that her heart broke as she said it. It was the truth; she didn't know.

Perhaps it was then that the regret she'd begun to feel when she looked at Harry near his seventeenth birthday came full circle. She'd really missed out on her sister's life, her once-beloved sister's life…and all because of jealousy.

So, when Teddy looked at her innocently and said he'd love to visit again, Petunia was caught between a panic-attack and a nod. He left with Harry then, and nothing would ever be the same.

Vernon hated it, having yet another "freak" around. Dudley seemed unable to come to an opinion one way or another. Petunia…

Well, she tried treating it as though Teddy was just another child to raise. He liked visiting more than Harry thought he should, and Teddy even started calling her "Aunt Petunia" and Vernon "Uncle Vernon." The last bit brought a small grin to her drawn lips, because Vernon had never made any move to be friendly.

Even as Teddy grew up, his fascination with them never slowed or ceased. He seemed to feel right at home with them, claiming that he was physically related to the worst possible. And if those Malfoy and Lestrange characters he talked about were real, then Petunia couldn't blame him.

And that was another thing. Could, after all this time, could she…tolerate magic? It wasn't as though Teddy did it all the time. But sometimes he couldn't help it when his eyes literally turned black, or when his hair reverted to its usual turquoise state, even though his hair was actually a soft brown. And, when he was of age and allowed to do magic in the outside world, he sometimes forgot not to "App-Irate" in front of them.

But, every time he smiled, she thought—maybe she could come to live with magic. Maybe she could pay her dues to her sister by showing love for this young boy. She'd been given a chance to grow out of her harpy stage, and Petunia thought maybe it was all right to have a second chance.

Then she became "Aunt Tuney," and she wasn't as sure.

Sure, she'd ended up watching him grow up. She'd watched Harry grow up, too. But… But… Well, she understood why Teddy had girl—or, witch—troubles. Discounting his looks, Teddy was a charmer. It made her a wee bit curious about his parents, but she found herself more interested in him.

She wasn't thick. She knew what was happening. But she could look out into her living room, Vernon in front of the telly with Duddykins…

And, as the days went on, she watched her husband wither away. She watched her son grow thin and somber and humble. She looked in the mirror and watched her own reflection turn into a ghost, even though her hair was still blond and her skin still pink. And her cheeks pinked more until they were red, and reddened until they were crimson, and she was reminded of time passed.

Vernon had never been as charming as Teddy.

But Petunia—just "Tuney," as Teddy was calling her nowadays—tried to let her little affections wane…to no avail. She would just have to sit there and smile as Teddy told her he finally chose a Potter girl over a Weasley one.

See, Tuney remembered a time when an Evans girl might've sparkled and caught a man's eye… Then again, Tuney was the wrong girl to try and light up a room.

- ^-^3

Wow, Mor… I pulled this off. :O Though this was one-sided from Petunia's POV, I think it would be interesting to see what Teddy thought. After all, age means nothing to wizards and witches who live forever! ;) But I also like the idea of Teddy being so bloody cheery that he might find the best in even the Dursleys. Ahh, sequel calling, *lol*. -w-

Thanks for reading, and please review!

-mew-tsubaki :}

2017 note: This fic, even 6yrs later, stands out a lot in my mind. Not just for the oddness of the ship, but for the line "She'd been given the chance to grow out of her harpy stage." For some reason, that's always stuck out to me… I wonder why. :O I rly feel for Petunia here, tho. :')